Words Unspoken
by classicdoctorwhorocks
Summary: There are thousands of words which little Dora Overland wishes she could say, but she soon realizes that there are times when she doesn't have to. Not Scotty/OC, because that would be a bit weird. Rated K for blood and death.


**This story could go on for quite a while, and it's based on an OC I created in my other Star Trek story 'Surprises'. I've made a few alterations to her character, sorry. **

**Disclaimer: I do not by any means own Star Trek.**

**Chapter 1**

Chief Engineer Montgomery Scott could be described as many things. Fanatical, good with his hands, slightly rude to those he didn't think deserved it, and prone to talk slightly creepily about the Enterprise, as though she was a woman.

Of course, he himself couldn't see why falling in love with a ship was so weird. To be honest, he thought talking to plants was, in his opinion, a heck of a lot weirder than talking to a lump of metal (No offence, sweetheart). He hadn't told on that Sulu fella when he'd walked in on the helmsman singing a lullaby to his newly christened "Anika". After all, maniacs kept secrets for other maniacs. That stood for all of Sulu's other "pets" as well, such as Penelope, Ruth, Candace, etcetera.

Speaking of Sulu…

Scotty spotted the Asian pilot edging towards a discreet corner of Engineering. He strode towards Sulu, noticing that the pilot was acting like an escaped convict.

'Hallo laddie! Just got out o' sickbay, have ye?'

'Yessir.'

'That's Scotty to you, Sulu! We're off duty, remember.'

'Of course. I just got out of sickbay.'

'How're the Serendipity lot?'

'Up and about, most of them. One of them has even started working with McCoy as a nurse. Turns out she was part of Medical on the Serendipity.'

Just a week before, on their way back to earth, a Federation starship, known as the USS Serendipity, crashed into Mercury due to sabotage. When the Enterprise arrived, only twenty people were still alive. Apparently McCoy had been doing surgery on the survivors for four days straight without sleep, before Nurse Chapel had knocked him out with a sedative to the neck. Nobody who had been present could say that it wasn't worth it. Especially when Engineer Ensign Willoughby took a picture of the good doctor asleep, and soldered it to Rec Room One's bulletin board.

'Aye. Is the rumour true? About there being a wee lassie among them?'

'Yeah.' Sulu frowned. 'The doctor thinks that she must be mute or something. Apparently her parents asphyxiated in front of her. She doesn't do much, just sits looking at the ground.'

'Hmm. Ah must go an' visit her, at some point. Ah'll be finished soon, anyway. By the way,' Scotty fixed the helmsman with a suspicious look. 'What're ye doin' in Engineerin'? Ye usually go straight tae the gym or to the Botany Lab after your shifts.' Sulu's eyes darted like a cornered animal's. Scotty had to bite back his amusement. Lieutenant Sulu was many things, but by God was he a terrible liar.

'Um, I just came to check on-ah- a few things.'

'Oh? Things which have nothing tae do wi' th' empty tool storage space your eyes keep flickerin' towards?' Sulu looked upwards briefly- something which he frequently did, as if seeking help from some supernatural force- and sighed.

'You know that certain members of the crew have been somewhat… relaxed lately?'

'Aye.'

'And how your tribble mysteriously disappeared from your quarters, and then reappeared two hours later?'

'Aye, that 'e did. But what does that-'The engineer's eyes widened comically. 'Oh God, no' again!' He rushed over to the storage compartment, ripping it open; and a sea of furry creatures spilled out of the large space, up to the man's ankles.

'If it makes any difference, it was an accident,' Sulu said sheepishly, a bit like a dog who'd done something on the carpet. 'Chekov was playing with it, and then he gave it some soup, and one thing led to another.'

'So it was Chekov who started an underground tribble breeding business, aye?'

'Umm… yes?'

'Okay. Tell your good friend Mister Chekov that I want these tribbles off _my _ship in four hours, at least. I don' care where 'e beams 'em, could be a Klingon Warship for all I care. But I want them off. Right, off you go.'

/

'Evenin', _Applejack!_' Scotty chirped as he entered Sickbay. McCoy gave him a glare which would reduce a minimally less brave man to tears.

'For God's sake man, you're worse than Jim! Apart from the Southern accent, how do I at all resemble an orange earth pony from a land called Equestria, who lives on the outskirts of bloody Ponyville, who has a three apples tattoo on her goddamn behind?! Anyhow,' the doctor added, 'If I had to be anyone, I'd be Big Macintosh. At least he's male.'

'You watch My Little Pony?!' Scotty said disbelievingly. McCoy rolled his eyes.

'Eeyup. Occupational hazard of being father to a seven-year-old girl. Then again, she'll probably be into punk rock before I see her again after this…' Before McCoy could go onto a rant about lousy visiting rights, Scotty interrupted.

'I've come to see th' bairn. Could I see her?'

'The what?' Scotty sighed. He was talking perfectly standard English!

'Y'know, the wee lass ye've got in sickbay.'

'Oh, okay. But don't expect too much of her, alright? I'm doing my best, but I'm a doctor, not a psychologist.'

'Aye,' Scotty muttered. 'I didnae think ye were.'

'What in hell was that supposed to mean?'

'Well, doctor,' Scotty said matter-of-factly, 'so far this week, ye've affirmed that ye're not Jim's mother, my mother, an insomniac, a teddy bear, or, as ye just pointed out, a psychologist. That's a lot o' things that ye're not.'

'For god's sake, Scotty! I'm a doctor, not a broken record.'

'Number six…'

'Just… go and talk to the kid if you want to, and then get out.' The doctor turned on his heel, and stomped off to lecture a Science officer with what looked like chemical burns.

The small girl- about McCoy's daughter's age, by the looks of it- was sitting on the far side of the sickbay on a biobed, which McCoy had attempted to make more comfy with an old polka-dot duvet. She was quite pretty, with lightly tanned skin, and black hair down to her shoulders. She reminded him somehow of an ancient cartoon which his kid sister used to watch on holovid. Something to do with a girl with a pet monkey, who for some bizarre reason wore wellington boots. She looked up, dark eyes peering out from under her thick fringe.

'Don' worry. I'm not goin' to try an' get ye t' speak.' He sat down on her bed, rocking backwards and forwards awkwardly. 'That's what the doctor's been tryin' to do, hasn't he? Don't worry, he's doin' his very best. He's worried about ye. He's very good at worrying, ye ken.' He smiled faintly. The girl didn't look up from her fixed gaze on her knees. She was wearing what looked like a miniature version of the Serendipity uniform, which was a rather pleasing shade of turquoise. He felt a pang of guilt, as he was reminded of Keenser's tiny uniform.

Suddenly, the girl began moving her fingers quickly. At first, Scotty thought it was nerves, but then he realized it was Earth sign language.

'Sorry, lassie,' he said quietly, 'I don' understand. Tell you what: why don' I do a bit of research, and then we could put it to practice in a few days?' The small girl nodded, and smiled. It was a small, polite smile, almost transparent; but a smile nonetheless. Scotty gave her his best grin in reward for her efforts, and jumped up, heading for McCoy.

'I'll be back next week,' he said. 'I've got a wee bit o' research to do. Oh,' he added quickly, 'What's her name, d'ye ken?'

'Her vitals say her name is Dora Overland.'

'Dora. Ha. Like the cartoon.' With that, the man walked off to who knows where, while McCoy wondered when the Serendipity had been televised.


End file.
